Beat the Pack
| Beat the Pack | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Quiz show |
| Format | Game show |
| Created by |
Paul Brassey Nick Carmichael-Jones |
| Directed by | Ollie Bartlett |
| Presented by | Jake Humphrey |
| Composer(s) |
Marc Sylvan Richard Jacques |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Pam Cavannagh Derek McLean Alexandra McLeod |
| Producer(s) | Eve Winstanley |
| Location(s) | BBC Television Centre |
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera setup |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company(s) | BBC Worldwide |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | 4 March 2013 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Beat the Pack is a BBC quiz show that aired on BBC One since 4 March 2013, hosted by Jake Humphrey.
Set-up
Each game is contested by eight contestants, the one in control standing next to Jake and the other seven (The Pack) standing behind a large podium. Left of the podium (from the audience's perspective) is a section called the Safe Area.
Gameplay
Round 1–6
Before the game starts, a contestant is designated Control Player, either being new or having won the previous show (provided the gain was non-monetary). The Control Player decides how the game should be played, which contestants are eliminated and can win up to £ 12,000 by taking the right decisions, whereas The Pack, of course, want to avoid this happening.
On the video wall, six precise categories (e.g. Africa, Olympic Heroes) appear, picking one of them triggers a four-choice question worth £ 2,000. As soon as all Pack Members have logged in their answer, the Control Player marks his move:
Play: The contestant picks an answer with or without deploying Double Answer (only once during their run). A correct answer adds money to the bank, whilst failing to provide the correct answer will cost the Control Player the game.
Pass: The correct answer is revealed along with the Pack Members who just typed in that answer. Whoever did, enter the Safe Area and are immune to elimination for the remainder of the category, an easier question for half the reward is brought in. That is unless all Pack Members have brought themselves in safety, thereby forcing the Control Player out.
Elimination process
After each completed round, one player drops out, either the Pack Member being singled out by the Control Player or a failing Control Player. In the latter case, the Pack Member with the best answers-to-questions ratio (and the quickest, if applicable) steps in, resuming with the category board, but with the bank slated clean.
If the Control Player crashes out on the last category, the best-performing Pack Member defends the right to return on the next show as Control Player.
Final round
The Control Player is fed questions during a 75-second interval and needs to answer them correctly and in a timely fashion. An error stops the clock and enables the surviving Pack Member to steal the question. The winner is either the Control Player surviving the last question or the Pack Member pushing the Control Player back thrice.
Transmissions
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 March 2013 | 29 March 2013 | 20 |
External links
- Beat the Pack at BBC Programmes
- Beat the Pack at UKGameshows.com